Willie le Roux and Johann Sadie combine to get Cheetahs a bonus point win in Port Elizabeth.

After a slow start, the Cheetahs scored three tries in the second half to win 34 – 22, after leading 13 – 12 at the break.

What seemed to be nail biting match in the making, turned into a rather one sided affair. The first half saw the Kings dominate play and the leading for most of the half. A late Cheetahs try took the away team into the break in front on the scoreboard, but disappointed to not have scored more points.

The second half saw a free running Cheetahs backline take apart the Kings defence. First Willie le Roux set up Sadie before Sadie returned the favour and put le Roux over. Piet van Zyl was again in the tries, after his brace last week. Replacement scrumhalf Nicolas Vergallo scored in the last five minutes for the Kings, after Demetri Catrakilis scored all the points through penalties.

A shift in focus from the Cheetahs backline was the change in the second half. The first half saw them throwing the ball around, but not being able to finish. The second half saw more accurate running, focusing on set piece moves and involving le Roux a lot more at first receiver.

The Kings defence again stood firm, something that we have become accustomed to from the Port Elizabeth outfit. It could only last that long though, and the attacking prowess from the Cheetahs finally shone through. On the attack though, the Kings lacked punch and struggled to make an impact against a Cheetahs defence that has improved this season.

Both these teams are involved in South African derbies next week, the Kings travelling to Cape Town to face the Stormers while the Cheetahs host the Bulls in a top of the South African Conference clash.